The Engagement
by CallaSterre
Summary: The head of a notorious intelligence agency visits DS9 and a new addition to the station's personnel decides that she can do her job and satisfy her curiosity at the same time.


_Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek and am not profiting from it's use in this story._

* * *

He loathed these meetings. But he didn't have the luxury of being able to complain since it was his machinations that put him in this situation.

He and an entourage of officers, diplomats and their guards were on space station DS9 to meet with senior Federation and Starfleet officials to discuss the tenuous alliance between the Empire and the Federation and it's unlikely future. Well, that was just one of _his _reasons for being there. If he remembered correctly, there were one or two Tal Shiar operatives on the station as well. He would have to be mindful of them. They answered to him but, at the end of the day, all of them were looking for opportunities to get ahead, especially if it was at the cost of a feared superior.

With the first part of one of his meetings over with, he was escorted to the guest quarters by a Lieutenant Alicia something or the other. He walked alongside her and they were followed by two security officers.

They arrived at his quarters. She went inside and pointed out the conveniences, all the while suspecting that he probably knew the layout of the station better than she did. He was quiet, almost serene, but his presence was imposing. She couldn't help feeling a little intimidated but she would be damned if she let him see that. As he glanced over his surroundings, she took the opportunity to study him. His face was expressionless but she got the feeling that he was unimpressed. He barely seemed to notice her but she couldn't take her eyes off him.

There remained nothing more to do, in an official capacity, so she should have excused herself and left, but didn't. She couldn't. She had to know. So she pushed her doubts aside and told herself that there was no harm in asking. If he didn't want to give her an answer, she wouldn't have lost anything by trying.

Then she noticed he was watching her. She couldn't tell whether he was annoyed that she hadn't yet left or if he was curious about why she was still in his quarters. It was now or never, she thought, so she took a deep breath and came out with it.

"Why did you do it?" she asked, purposely being vague.

For a moment he seemed to have been caught off guard but then his expression turned to one of mild amusement. She sensed, and perhaps knew all along, that she would be lucky if she managed to get even half a truth out of the man, but it didn't matter. Her curiosity was killing her and something was better than nothing.

* * *

He had caught her staring at him after finishing her tedious explanation of the room's facilities. He was about to send her on her way but what she said next, though unexpected, told him all he needed to know about her. He narrowed his eyes and regarded her intently for the first time since they had met. Either this was simply her way of telling him who she was or she actually wanted to know - for what purpose, he couldn't be sure. Relaxing his posture, he smiled ever so slightly.

" 'It'? " he asked, raising an eyebrow, despite the fact that he understood what she was referring to.

He was either testing her or teasing her. Probably both, she thought. A small smile played on her lips when she realized that she had his attention, and she was more than happy to take part in this little game. She sighed and gave him a subtle look of disappointment, nodded politely and said, "Good night." With that she turned to leave.

Was he mistaken about her or had she accepted his invitation? Presuming it was the latter, he said, "Lieutenant…Hayden, is it?"

She stopped and turned to face him, looking as though she had more important things to do at that moment. "The people who know me don't address me quite like that, but on this station that's what I go by," she said, giving him a knowing look and a half-smile. He examined her while she, waiting patiently for him to continue, never took her eyes off his face. She knew that he would quickly get bored and dismiss her if she came across as meek and unassertive. She'd have to prod him, albeit carefully, if she was going to learn anything.

He looked down and held his hands behind his back. Seeming to have arrived at some decision, he walked over to the replicator and ordered a drink.

"Would you like one?" he asked.

"Thank you, no."

He made his way back to where she was standing. He should have just dismissed her but he was intrigued by the very fact that she had asked so he decided to humour her, at least until he was satisfied that there was nothing more to gain from the exchange. In his opinion, Terrans were like children - naive and easy to toy with - which made them entertaining, to a point.

He casually asked, "To whom shall I direct the answer?"

She tilted her head to the side, indicating that she didn't understand what he was getting at.

"Am I talking to the agency or to an overly curious girl?"

"Does it make a difference?" she asked.

He looked at his drink and gently swirled it around the small glass. "Your people obviously don't think it important to keep their operatives well informed," he said.

"They do and they have."

"Then you are already aware of the finer details of my treachery," he sneered.

"I am aware of what you told them."

"You think that I have withheld information?" he asked, pretending to be surprised by the insinuation. When she didn't reply, he said, "In that case, what makes you think I would reveal to you what I chose not to reveal to them?"

Of course he wasn't going to make it easy. What did she expect? He wanted to play, that was clear, but if she left it up to him, she would end up with nothing more than a bedtime story. She knew that pleading for a direct and honest answer would make him even less inclined to give her one. She would have to engage with him on his terms but that didn't mean that she would let him control it. That was the problem with trying to have a conversation with someone like him. Subterfuge was the rule of the game - one full of lies and half truths, endless tangents and roads leading no where.

"Point taken," she said, "but considering everything you've done, I can't imagine why _that's_ the thing you've chosen to keep secret." Perhaps that was a little harsh but it was necessary.

"Then you haven't much of an imagination," he mocked.

She was asking for that, she accepted begrudgingly, but she pushed on.

"I have no pretensions about my ability to persuade. However, one day you may want to confide in someone." Yes, that was a stretch but, honestly, what else could she say?

He smirked. "And you think that, of all the beings in the universe, I would choose to confide in you?"

She couldn't really argue with that so she tried a different tactic.

"I wonder, how many others have bothered to ask? That is, when not trying to determine how useful you are to them?"

He said nothing. They just stared at each other in silence before he turned and stepped closer to the window.

Was that cruel? Perhaps, she thought. If she had hit a nerve, he was doing his best not to show it. Then she wondered if he had much of a heart to break in the first place.

"What if I said that I did it for the good of my people?" he asked.

"I would be disinclined to believe you," she plainly stated.

Turning towards her, a humourless smile on his face, he said, "Of course you would. You hope for an honorable reason yet you only accept one borne of corruption. We're condemned either way." He expected a heated reaction - one filled with typical Federation self-righteousness. To his surprise, he got none.

"Very well," he said. "If don't believe me, why don't you tell me what you think the reason is?"

"I couldn't say," she confessed, "because I don't know you. Your reputation, however, precedes you and one might wonder how a person with your history can claim to have done it for the good of anyone but himself."

"Ah, so you do have a theory after all," he said. "Wealth and power?"

"Revenge? Ego? Triple agent, perhaps?" she finished for him. She knew that last part could get her into trouble, if not with him, then with the agency at least. They wouldn't be very happy to learn that she was provoking their most valuable asset with, for the time being, baseless accusations.

He laughed at that and said, "You can't be so naive as to think those are the only possible reasons." After studying her for a while, he slowly walked towards her as he said, "Then again, maybe you are, since you lack the sense to keep from asking questions you may not like the answers to."

"Perhaps you're right, but I'm not so arrogant that I'm ashamed to ask and I see no point in hiding from the truth," she said calmly. "So, I'll ask again. Why are you doing this?"

"Tell me, why do you do this?" he asked, as he waved his hand in front of her.

She gave him a questioning look. "Do what?"

"Whatever they ask of you; the things that you, in fact, choose to do," he said, almost looking genuinely interested.

She was annoyed that he had caught her by surprise with such a simple question and she bought some time by throwing his words back at him. With a sly grin, she asked "Would you believe me if I said that I do it for the good of my people?"

He looked at her, a sincere smile on his face, and said, "Perhaps we are not so different from each other." With that, he sat down on a nearby sofa and looked away. She could tell that she wasn't going to get any more from him, at least not tonight.

She took a deep breath. "I'll see you tomorrow, then. Good night, Chairman," she said and then walked away.

Before she reached the door, he called out to her. "Sasha," he said. She turned slightly and found him looking at her with a peculiar intensity. "Did you get what you came for?"

She smiled and held his gaze a moment longer, and then left.

Alone now, he stared at the place where she last stood, lost in thought. He shook his head and walked back to the window, taking in the view of the stars and enjoying a rare moment of peace.

**_End_**

* * *

**Afterword**

This story is partly the result of the huge question that the DS9 episode "Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges" left unanswered, which was: Why did Koval, Chairman of the Tal Shiar, of all people, become an informant to the Federation? To me, that would have been the most interesting part of the episode. It's also the result of my being always on the lookout for situations that contain Romulans and the potential for angst/drama/romance!

I thought about what motivates people to commit treason and then I wondered which of those could apply to Koval, in particular, but, try as I might, I couldn't come up with a satisfactory answer. That tight lipped Romulan insisted that I'd have to get to know him much better before he'd even consider giving up his secrets! So for now, the ol' non-answer answer will have to do. If I ever am able to come up with a compelling reason, I might write some sort of follow up to this story, though I find the mystery that surrounds Koval to be what makes him so appealing. I would hate to take that away from him!

Anyway, if you made it all the way through, I thank you for your time and patience.


End file.
